Attemps on Life, and Blood, and Future
by Katharine the Gleaming
Summary: When an attempt is made on Tortall's future, and it's beloved royals: knights, spies and scoundrels alike unite to save a kingdom; and an unborn child. Read&Review. Slight fluffs from all books, and other goodies. Enjoy!


"You really will make a wondrous queen someday." Queen Thayet said watching Princess Shinkokami gather her skirts.

Shinko was grateful of the older woman's help, and advice in trying times. Especially now.

"Your Highness you flatter me so." Princess Shinkokami said giving her mother-in-law a rare loving smile. She was still not used to the open emotions of Tortallan culture and still felt uneasy smiling openly. The woman had taken a great liking to her these past two years after her marriage to Prince Roald. This gave her great pleasure, after the many months on the Great Progress she had feared her; as many future wives fear they're mother in laws.

"I cannot wait till Roald comes home to court, he'll be _so_ happy!" The Queen remarked giving her daughter-in-law a gleeful wink.

"And if it's a boy." the Princess inquired.

"Ecstatic, he'll be ecstatic."

"What of His Highness? I doubt he'll be as merry as the two us." Shinko added, a proud grin enveloping her face.

The Queen laughed, as while Shinko let out a more controlled Yamani lady's giggle from behind her fan. They knew all-to-well that Jon would be as ecstatic as his son about Princess Shinkokami's pregnancy.

"I don't have doubts it will make him feel old. Jon is touchy on that subject at times. Being a grandfather might make him pop a few stitches." The Queen said holding back her hair so the tailor could measure her waist.

The ladies-in-waiting smiled up at the monarchs, but said quiet remarks under they're breath. A baby, or even a pregnant princess would be entirely hard to manage, and added to the long list of chores they did for the royal ladies. Honami noh Kazuho, one of Shinko's ladies murmured a very unladylike insult from behind her mending. This got her a glare from one of the older girls, and a finger twitch from another. _Don't do anything stupid_, whispered Etsuyo, her elder sister as she passed her in the Queen's personal fitting rooms. The Kazuho girls had strict orders from they're parents not anger the Queen, for fear of being shipped back to the Islands in shame. Honami made a pouted face and went back to her work, pinning masses of ruffles on the Yamani Princess's skirts.

"These shall be perfect," Queen Thayet, remarked inspecting her skirts in the tall mirror beside her, "They're very airy too- you'll want that went you get bigger." She said sending her daughter-in-law another proud wink. "I love the hemming, Ritsuka," Shinko commented admiring the girl's handiwork. "I'm always worried I'll trip over my skirts and ruin the pretty hems. Tortallian skirts don't restrict your feet like the Yamani kimonos did." Shinko said frankly, stepping from the small dais to practice her dance steps. "You've gotten better." Thayet remarked, watching the girl practice. "Roald was never an amazing dancer, he doesn't mind when people step on his feet every once and a while."

The princess smiled, she _still_ couldn't get used to the Court dances. And being the future Queen of Tortall, this vexed her deeply. But of course she kept her face flat and impassive. One, two, step, three two step. Her delicate shoes tapped the floor in fluid movements, like those of someone focused and ready; natural like a warriors.

"Hand me the snipping scissors, Honami." Ritsuka said, glancing at the younger girl, who didn't move a muscle at the command. "_Honami! -_" Lady Ritsuka snapped at the girl, who woke from her trance among the lace. "_Oh_ yes. _Here_." Honami ranted, tossing the scissors lazily to the dais. To Honami's dismay the scissors did not land casually in Lady Ritsuka's lap instead they flung across the room at the Princess who was quietly practicing her dance steps. The snipping utensil sent a wiz through the air as they flew sideways at Shinko, slicing a small but deep sever in the future Queen's heel.

"Princess!" Yuki shrieked, running to her friend and monarch's side. The Yamani princess sat in a dizzy position on the floor inspecting her foot, crossly. "It's just a small cut, Yuki." But seeing her wince, her friend shook her head. Shinko mouthed a small curse in Yamani, which surprised the Yamani ladies around her. The Queen stared puzzled at the girl, "Is she all right? That looked like a painful fall." Thayet added sweeping up her skirts, and stepping from the dais to help her daughter-in-law.

"It isn't that bad." Shinko said flatly, as a concerned Yuki, and Lady Ritsuka helped her too her feet.

"Never-the-less we'll get you to one of the palace healers." Thayet added calmly.

As the ladies-in-waiting began to quickly collect their things and help Thayet and Shinko back into their original gowns, Etsuyo grabbed her sister. Gripping her wrist she whisked Honami behind a dressing screen she seethed, _"I told you not to do anything stupid,"_

Etsuyo was fuming and began to rant at Honami in Yamani. "_Your lucky no one saw you or we would be on the next junk back to the Islands!_" Honami's elder sister snapped, whacking her fan across the younger girl's cheek. Etsuyo whispered to herself a small prayer to be ladylike and let her face turn back to Yamani stone. Honami glowered back at her sister and mumbled under her breath another insult in Yamani. "_You spent too much time with those palace guards back home_- you have the tongue of a fisherman's boy." Etsuyo whispered angrily at her sister. She took another deep calming breath.

"Be calm and collected- _Reisei ni natte, shūshū…" _the elder girl breathed, and repeated the small Yamani prayer once in Common and once in Yamani. _"Now go apologize at once." _Etsuyo gently pushed her sister from behind the screen and ironed her skirts with her palms. Honami fumbled from behind the screen and walked past the cluster of dressing boards, daises, and bright windows, staring at her feet. The calm light danced behind the colored screens presenting glistening beams across the floor. She stopped behind one and positioned herself, "_Ladylike, be a silent junk across the ocean." _She took in an inward breath, and prayed to she wouldn't say anything disgraceful. She was taking gallant steps toward the dais when a cry imbued the rooms.

HONAMI- NO!" Etsuyo yelped.

Honami ignored her sister's cries and continued, thinking Etsuyo meant to exasperate her more.

"Your Highness, May I speak truthfully?" Honami asked the Queen, as she approached the dais, her face a gray Yamani statue.

"You may always speak truthfully in a regent's presence, Lady Honami. It is disgraceful not to." Thayet said, looking interested into the girl's eyes. "It was me who-" The girl's speech stopped abruptly. "Speak up, girl." Thayet said calmly, as a confused look pervaded her face. The young Yamani's expression twitched, and her eyes shot back into they're sockets. The Queen gasped, as one her ladies-in-waiting caught a falling Honami as she fell to her ruin.

Sadly, as Honami had faced her doom she had realized that her elder sister had only been trying to warn her. From directly behind Honami a few feet away a mysterious spectator inspected their prey. They had planned to shoot the cross bow straight at one of the royal ladies but had been impeded by Lady Honami's person standing in between the bolt and the kill. The killer grunted angrily, a moment later a second bolt shot across the room, whizzing past the Yamani Princess's ear, whose shukusen shot into the air, slicing the bolt in two.

All attempts fruitless, the hidden adversary stole from the dressing screen and down the back-halls of the palace.

Lady Sargon, the lady-in-waiting who caught the dying girl- wept openly and shouted prayers to the Mother as the palace healers looked over the young girl as she departed this life. Yuki, holding a bawling Etsuyo in her arms gestured to the other ladies to assist the healers, while palace guards gaited Thayet and Shinkokami out of the room. As she left Shinko gave the crying sister's shoulder a soft pat and gave her condolences. "You are loved, Etsuyo." She whispered. As Shinkokami left she mouthed a powerful prayer to Yama for the Honami's soul's safe passage and left the room with a sullen expression.

Thayet stopped one of the guards as he escorted her out. "Let me speak to the dead child's sister." The burly guard opened his mouth to protest but a second later found his efforts vain as Thayet raised her skirts and proceeded to give Etsuyo a grieving and thoughtful pat on the back. "Lady Etsuyo, I promise I shall _personally_ make sure that the man who killed your sister is caught and executed. And I'll be sure to write your family to inform them of your sister's tragic end." A solicitous Thayet declared to the sobbing noble.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Etsuyo said, weeping into Yukimi's shoulder. All the room was sealed with a cold honorable silence as the girl's body was carried from the Queen's fitting rooms.

**A/n: And that's the end of the first chappie! "Yeeeeeah!" I hoped you liked it and tell me if you did. **

**Oh and to clear things up: a **_**junk **_**is a Japanese or Chinese boat used for various things. My friend who beta-ed for me was all confused, so I though you might be too. And when Etsuyo says: **_**Reisei ni natte, shūshū … **_**that's Japanese (spelled phonetically as if you were to speak it from an English standpoint) for: be calm, and collected. Also I wasn't sure if Jon and Thayet's first grandchild was Binur (Kalasin and Kaddar's son) or Lianokami (Roald and Shinkokami's daughter) so I used Roald's kid first because it was easier to research about Roald than it was about Kalasin. But if I'm wrong- regretfully tell me. So with that cleared up, enjoy the next chappie. It includes some of my and probably **_**your**_** favorite characters from the Tammy Pierce books. **

**And if you review this story you get an invisible plate of cookies. But they're oatmeal cause I ran out of invisible chocolate chips. **

**Lotsa Lovey-Dovey Stuff,**

**Kat. **

**PS: I need ideas for the next chapter. Tell me what characters you want to see and help me with the plot line because I'm kinda stuck.. wedged between a couple different ideas like a big, writing-savy sandwich. But without pickles because pickles are: "Eww." **


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